Took a couple of bottles of Bordeaux to the local UPS store for shipment, and wound up in a shouting match with the snot-nosed kid who called himself the manager. They still don't understand that sometimes the laws DO change, even in Texas.

Hotsie, it's been my understanding that UPS allows autonomy to its many so-called managers across the country; they can decide if their office will accept or reject a shipment.

In a particular area smack in the middle of the Finger Lakes wine region, there is a person who calls himself a "Christian who cannot accept alcohol in the society," and since he runs the UPS office, his place rejected lots of winery shipments.

The list that AW pointed to is the problem.... it doesn't reflect the addition of Texas, as of about July of this year, when the federal judge in Houston ruled the state's restrictions on wine shipments to be in violation of the Constitution's interstate commerce claus. UPS and other shippers will get the word, eventually.

When I lived in Alabama, Bruno's was pretty much the only place with a truly basic wine selection, and since I didn't know much about wines back then, that statement says a lot. The ABC liquor-control stores seemed to think that all they needed was to carry Santa Rita and Jacob's Creek. I hope things are different in Auburn!

I have a daughter that works foe a UPS Store, and she tells me that since UPS tok over Mail Boxes Etc. that they have droped there prices. They (the local store here) are now strugling to stay in business. I dought they would turn away any business.

I can't say that I would condem a person for standing up for there principals. I myself was in the group condeming all alcolhol for years. Mainly because of my fear of alcolhol.
At 20 years old I was fired for drinking on the job. I drank to get drunk. That was at the time I met my wife to be. I decided that it was time for me to grow up. I didn't drink a drop of alcolhol for about 14 years. I now enjoy wine moderatly and have a healthy fear/respect of alcolhol, knowing it's potential for harm to me and the ones I love. I now drink a glass of wine for enjoyment not to get drunk.

But more to the point: liquor warehouse and distribution lobbyists (and bag men) pay big time to politician coffers so that shipping laws remain restrictive. It's the American way, don't you know? As with so many bad policies, all you need do to discover the source is follow the $ trail.

I mentioned in front of a young lady that I was buying some wine for a church Thanksgiving dinner and she said "That's funny--wine at church!" I just told her that I'm an Episcopalian and we have wine at Communion so it isn't strange to us (but I wanted to goad her about Jesus turning water into wine at the wedding)--yeah, Foodie, like the name of your vineyard.